How to Prevent Pests in Your Home
Pest Prevention Tips for Homeowners
While seeing the occasional ant or spider can be harmless, a full-blown pest infestation threatens health, home value and quality of life. Research from CSIRO shows that termites will infest 1 out of every 3 houses at some point during the building’s lifetime. Thankfully, there are ways homeowners can help prevent unwanted pests from invading in the first place. From smart landscaping choices to vigilant cleaning routines, deter them from making themselves at home with these practical prevention tips.
1. Remove Food Sources
One of the easiest ways to discourage pests is to limit their access to food. Always keep them sealed tightly in containers to avoid leaving crumbs or smells that can attract roaches, ants and mice. Take garbage bags out frequently so rotting waste in bins doesn’t become an open feast for all kinds of vermin. For those with compost piles outdoors, make sure you stir and maintain it properly so it doesn’t invite flies or unwanted guests from nearby wooded areas. By removing outdoor and indoor sources of food, you remove what their desire most.
2. Seal Up Pest Entry Points
Even tiny cracks or holes along the exterior walls, foundation and doors of your home can become virtual highways for pests to enter and nest. Make it a habit to walk around outside and seal up any gaps and loose sidings with weatherproof caulk. This includes holes where outdoor faucets, vents, wiring, drains and plumbing pipes enter the structure. Check exterior doors and windows for even the smallest separation and make repairs as needed with sealants. Addressing where they access your home is key to stopping further invasions down the road.
3. Store Food Properly In Airtight Containers
Pantry items, dry bulk foods, cereals, flour, rice and baking ingredients tend to attract a host of pests that can contaminate them with germs, bacteria and droppings. Storing your foodstuffs in airtight plastic bins prevents rodents from invading them in your cupboards. Clear containers also let you easily see if you do have any bugs present. Be diligent about not allowing crumbs to accumulate along with keeping all cleaned and sealed away.
4. Deep Clean Home To Deter Nesting Sites
While a surface clean seems neat, there are often tiny spaces and cracks that pests use to hide, nest and breed out of plain sight. Conduct deep cleans that vacuum furniture cushions, behind large appliances, inside closets and even mounted lighting fixtures to remove food crumbs that accumulate. Thoroughly wash out the inside of waste bins and empty all trash frequently. Clean food debris from underneath kitchen appliances or the oven. With their feeding and breeding ground removed, they will struggle to establish themselves within different rooms.
5. Remove Pest Habitats From The Yard
Closely examine the exterior landscape surrounding your place. Check for areas they might use for meals, shelter or reproduction. Remove piles of debris, stacks of materials, heavy vegetation or mulch pressing up against the foundation. Relocate trash bins, pet food bowls and water sources away from the home’s perimeter. Prune back tree branches and bushes so they don’t touch or overhang the house itself. Discourage them from taking up residence by eliminating habitats nearby.
6. Treat Fabrics & Soft Surfaces
Carpets, rugs, pet bedding, pillows and fabrics can allow them to hide. Vacuum and sanitise these items frequently using steamers or cleansing products to remove crumbs that serve as “snack bars” for mice, roaches and insects. For deeper infestations involving fleas or fabric pests, specialised treatments or professional-grade products may be required. Catching a problem early by treating soft surfaces is worthwhile preventative work.
7. Use Caution With DIY Pest Prevention
While handy homeowners may decide to tackle prevention themselves by sealing up cracks, setting out traps or using natural repellents, caution is warranted. Improper use of chemical pesticides could cause reactions for those with allergies or sensitivities. Traps could unintentionally capture protected species of reptiles, birds or other wildlife beyond standard rodents. And “home remedies” found online often prove ineffective despite bold claims otherwise. Know your limitations for self treatment to avoid making matters worse through environmental contamination or endangering people’s health. Leave full pest elimination to reputable professionals sporting proper safety equipment, techniques and regulated products.
8. Rely On Professional Pest Control
At the first signs of an actual infestation within attics, crawlspaces or basements, enlist professional pest control specialists certified to eradicate invaders and prevent continued attacks. Attempting removal yourself often spreads them deeper into inaccessible areas and surrounding landscape. Professionals know how to thoroughly check to pinpoint nesting entry points, identify species, eliminate populations and their ability to return – often with lasting warranties. And they adhere to local regulations regarding approved products and humane removal standards within residential areas that DIYers may overlook. Protect against the dirty, damaging pest infestations by calling experts right away if confronted by a major issue inside or outside of your property.
While pests pose annoying, unhealthy and destructive threats to any home, following these practical prevention tips helps solve problems before they spiral out of control. Along with staying vigilant to quickly address pest issues, rely on pest control experts to fully shield your home against seasonal migrations and surprise invasions over time.
